Planet Art eXchange (PAX)
Featuring the Arab Contemporary Art in the European Capital of Culture
Liverpool, 1-15 July 2008

The Concept

Planet Art eXchange is an annual art event, that capitalises on the light shed on the European capitals of culture, to feature undervalued or unreported contemporary art from a particular region.

The inaugural PAX edition is taking place in Liverpool in July 2008 and will stage Arab contemporary art. The scheduled events are (1) an art fair and (2) an artist-in- residence programme..

The Relevance

Western viewers have considered non-western art in general to be a curiosity or quite separate from western civilization, ignoring centuries of cross-cultural influences. Arab art has been, and still is, seen from an anthropological, archaeological or purely aesthetic perspective. Contemporary Arab art remains one of the least visible in Britain despite recent shifts in the reception and representation of non-Western arts.

The most familiar representations of Arab culture in Britain is linked to Islamic art, mostly from the 13th century. The perspectives that contemporary Arab art brings to bear are all the more important today. This is in the context of the existence of 500,000 strong British-Arab communities, and even more substantial in the Arab diaspora in Europe and elsewhere, and the centrality of the Arab region in a global world. Recent political turmoil has isolated Arab communities and cast doubt over their characters and values. In the absence of any direct experience of contemporary Arab cultures, the British public is unable to make up its mind on the basis of direct experience. The uncertainty cast over the possibility of harmonious co-existence within a multicultural Britain is unsettling to all. The focus of British cultural establishments on ancient Islamic art only serves to reinforce perceptions of a spent cultural force. It also ignores the multiple dimensions of Arab cultures outside the Islamic context. The showcase of the Arab contemporary art in the European capital of culture hopes to highlight its contribution to modern art.

1.PAX Fair, 11-13 July

The participation in the PAX Fair 2008 is exclusive to art galleries and dealers featuring renowned and up-and- coming talented Arab artists.

Art galeries participating in PAX Fair 2008 will benefit from a unique opportunity, thanks to a synergy created by many factors:

Location, location - The UK is the second largest art market in the world, and is home of a large number of art lovers and collectors. - Top UK auction houses have recently shown a great interest in Arab art by opening offices in Dubai and conducting successful art sales in London - Liverpool is a vibrant art city with some of the finest art institutions in the UK.
The Timing - The event of capital of culture is expected to bring to Liverpool a large number of visitors, In July, the, International Tall Ships Races is expected to be watched by over a million people . - We have coordinated with The Bluecoat Arts Centre to make the fair coincide with the Arabic Arts Festival, the only one of its kind in the UK, - PAX events are expected to receive a lot of coverage by local and regional media, mainly because they will be co-organised by Liverpool- based artist collectives.

The Marketing - Being an event of Liverpool 2008, the fair will benefit from the large media coverage and the publicity that the city is organising. - We are planning to undertake a large marketing and communication campaign to encourage collectors and other potential buyers to attend PAX Fair 2008 All these factors create a unique synergy and a rare opportunity for the participating galleries to sell and network.

2. PAX Work, 1-15 July 2008

PAX Work is a two weeks artist-in-residence programme like no other. It will be organised by the local arts community, whereby local artists work with foreign artists to produce stimulating collaborative art projects. The concept hopes to promote the art creation through the involvement of artists from different groups of faith, culture and art discipline..

The Relevance -Through the universality of their expression, artists can provide the world with a better alternative to the chaos of inter-civilisation relations that’s marking our times .- Contemporary Arab art remain one of the least visible in Britain, despite recent shifts in the reception and representation of non-Western arts. Arab artists can chage this perception. - Recent political turmoil has isolated Arab communities and cast doubt over their characters and values. In the absence of any direct experience of contemporary Arab cultures, the British public is unable to make up its mind on the basis of direct experience. - Few Arab artists have had the chance to exhibit their works in Britain due to the lack of institutional support. Working with Liverpool-based artists can help them overcome this problem.

Our local partner:
We have partnered with Red Dot Exhibition, a Liverpool-based collective of artists. A large number of its members will be participating in the event as host artists. To look at their profiles, please visit our website.

Who can participate?
Participation in PAX Work 2008 is exclusive to visual artists from Liverpool and Arab artists. Guest artists will work in an interactive way with their surroundings, and contribute recognisably to the work of the hosting groups. The scheme encourages applications which promote cross-disciplinary interactions by bringing artists into contrasting contexts where their activities are not normally represented. Artists are invited to run workshops, and to offer the local community the opportunity to get closer to the artist and to live the experience of creating visual arts.

Participating Venues:
We have partnered with The Art Organisation (TAO) and some other Liverpool-based art galleries to make this programme possible. These venues offer an alternative and affordable way for exhibiting art. Located in the heart of Liverpool art quarter, they provide easy access for art lovers and the local community. The list of the participanting galleries can be found in our website.

How to take part?
Artists are invited to submit, through the website, a collaborative art project to the local artist they wish to work (the deadline for projects submission is March. 2008). The proposal has to include an idea of a workshop, as we would like to open up the creation process to the local community. The Selection Notification date is April 2008.
Contact: info@pax08.com